Garment-supporter



(No Model.)

P E HOLT 'GARMENT SUPPORTBR. No. 492.356.

Patented Feb. 21, 1893.

WWN'EEEE.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLORENCE E. HOLT, OF STONEI-IAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

GARNI ENT-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION` forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,356, dated February 21, 18913.

Application tiled November 30, 1892. Serial No. 453,614. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FLORENCE E. HoL'r, ot' Stoneham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment- Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a garment-supporter adapted particularly to serve as a shoulder-brace, and as a means for supporting the skirts and stockings in such manner as to prevent any sense of fatigue or A discomfort to the wearer caused by the weight of the garments supported, or any uncomfortable pressure upon any portion of the body.

The invention consists in a garment-snpporter, comprising two main straps, formed to rest upon the shoulders and to depend therefrom, each strap being formed as an adjustable loop surrounding the shoulder from which it depends, and having a free end extending downwardly below the loop and forming a continuation of the portion of the loop which rests on the back of the wearer. The lower portions of the loop are provided with short pendent straps, having at their lower ends clasps or devices for engaging a skirt or other l garment, While the free lower ends of the straps are provided with means for engaging the stockings. The portions of the loops that rest upon the back of the wearer are connected by transverse straps, said `transverse straps and the loops constituting shoulder-braces or supports. All of this I will now proceed to describe.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification: Figure l represents a side view, showing my improved garmentsupporter in place. spective view of the supporter removed from the person.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both the figures.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a garment-supporter, composed of straps d a, formed to pass over and rest upon the shoulders of the wearer, said straps having at the lower ends of their rear portions the extensions a ct', which extend diagonally downward from the lower ends of the straps, so that, when the supporter is in use, the lower ends of the extensions a are in position to hold Fig. 2 represents a perthe stocking-supporters ad a2, with which their lower ends are provided, in position to engage the stockings of the wearer. The forward ends of the straps ct are connected with the rear ends of said straps by the diagonally-arranged straps as, which, when the supporter is in use, pass under the arms of the wearer, as shown in Fig. 1, each strap a and the endconnecting strap a3 constituting a loop surrounding the shoulder from which the-strap depends, the arrangement being such. that no part of the garment supporter bears on the front of the wearers person, as indicated in Fig. 1.

b b represent short straps, which are hung from the end portions of the straps ci, and are provided at their lower ends with clasps or other suitable devices for engagement with a skirt or other garment, there being two of the straps b at each side of the wearers body, said straps being located nearly under the arms and entirely at the sides of the body, so that they exert no pressure on the front portion of the body. The portions of the straps ot that rest upon the back are connected by transverse straps c o c, which enable the device to act as a shoulder-brace and supporter.

I prefer to make each strap a adjustable in length, and to this end I provide the front portion of each strap with a sliding device or buckle d, adapted to hold a portion of the strap in the form of a bight or loop d", which can be taken up or elongated to lengthen or shorten the strap.

It will be seen that the garment-supporter above described has its chief bearing upon the shoulders and back of the wearer, and has no bearing upon the front of the person; hence the device is entirely free from liability to give discomfort to the wearer, and is so disposed that it is entirely covered by thefore described7 comprising in its construction the straps a a formed to bear on 'the shoulders and back and connected by the transverse back straps c, the extensions a a extending diagonally downward from the rear ends of the straps a a and provided with stocking-supporters at their lower ends, the under-arm straps 0,3 c3 extending diagonally backward and downward from the forward ends of the straps d and attached to the eX- tensions a', and the skirt-supporting straps l) b h b depending from the front and rear porl tions of `the straps a a and provided at their lower ends with garment-engaging devices, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 16th day of November, A. D. 1892.

FLORENCE E. HOLT.

Witnesses:

PRISCILLA D. CAMPBELL,

J. A. STooKwELL. 

